Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool: One-Off Malware Cleanup

Kaspersky’s Virus Removal Tool is a single-purpose cleaner. Rather than watching your PC all day, it runs once, scans, removes what it finds and then disappears, which suits emergency situations or a quick second opinion.

How the tool works

• Free and optional: Kaspersky describes it as a free, optional utility.
• No installation: You can run it straight away, including from a USB drive, and it removes itself after you close it.
• Selectable scan areas: Choose startup objects, boot sectors, system memory and disk drives.
• Not real-time: It does not run in the background, so it cannot replace a permanent antivirus.

Using it step by step

1. The Download button opens Kaspersky’s official page for the tool.
2. Run the file and accept the terms.
3. Pick the areas to scan, start the scan and review detected items.
4. Remove threats and restart if requested.

A note on availability

Kaspersky’s products are subject to restrictions in some countries, and its website redirects visitors to a local version. Check that the tool is offered in your region and, if your organisation has security policies about vendors, follow them. The download page does not state system requirements in its main text, so check it for the supported Windows versions.

As with any cleaning tool, back up important files first. For other free scanners that follow the same on-demand approach, compare Emsisoft Emergency Kit.